Environmental cooperation with Russia

Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s cooperation with Russia has been going on since 1994. Through the years, more than 90 projects were implemented in the areas of water and marine environment, nature conservation, environmental protection and environmental education.

During the period 1995-2007, the cooperation was carried out with aid funds from Sida, but since 2008 it is financed by the environmental budget as part of Sweden's strategic environmental policy.

The cooperation is run on the basis of mutual benefit and is coupled to international conventions, agreements or other issues addressed by the environmental policy priorities of the both countries. Several projects are therefore linked also to the Arctic Council, the Barents Council or Helsinki commission’s work on the Baltic Sea. Swedish EPA also participates actively in the work of the Arctic Council project support instrument (PSI) and the exclusion of the Barents Hot Spots.

In February 2016, Swedish EPA together with the Ministry of Nature Recourses and Environment of Russian Federation had the 13th Joint Committee meeting where a new Work Program was signed for the years 2016-2018. This program includes the following areas:

Water and marine environment, including environmental monitoring

Nature conservation and biodiversity

Climate and air, including the short-lived climate-changing pollution

Environmental protection and best available technology (BAT)

Waste, chemicals and sustainable development of cities

Swedish EPA is in charge of program coordination, however other Swedish authorities such as Swedish Agency for Marine and Water management and Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute are also involved in the cooperation.

Water and marine environment

During the Joint Committee meeting certain results of the conducted work during the previous Work Program were reported. Thus, within the area Water and marine environment a project “RusNIP II capacity for Compliance to the Baltic Sea Action Plan” was completed. RusNIP II focussed on Russia´s capacity to monitor and report discharges and environmental status to Helcom’s reporting system Pollution Load Compilation”, (PLC) and thus enable follow-up and action planning according to the same prerequisites as the other Baltic Sea States. The project identified and elaborated recommendations for as well technical and methodological as administrative and economical recommendations for Russian environmental authorities and institutions to adapt to the PLC. Project “Management Plan for wild salmon in Luga River” was initiated. A seminar to discuss the further work needed in order to establish a national salmon management plan, is planned for spring 2016, an information brochure about the need to protect the wild salmon has been printed and spread to local communities around Luga river.

Nature conservation and biodiversity

Knowledge exchange in Management for Directors and staff of Swedish and Russian Protected Areas” is going on within the area Nature conservation and biodiversity. Swedish EPA and seven County Administrative Boards visited Kostomuksja Zapovednik in Karelia in June 2014. This study visit increased knowledge and understanding on inter alia protection values and selection of nature areas for different degrees of protection. The study tour thus gave valuable input regarding how protection of nature reserves best is done in Sweden. Russian delegation in respond visited the Tyresta NP and the Royal National City Park in Stockholm. A permanent cooperation is expected between Tyrestaskogen Foundation and the Directorate of Protected Areas of Saint Petersburg and possibly also with the County Administrative Board of Stockholm and the Administrative Region of Leningrad Oblast. Since 2016 the project will split into two different projects, one for the cooperation on National Parks and one for the cooperation of Nature Protected Areas in Urban areas.

Air Pollution and Climate Change

During 2013-2015, within the area Air Pollution and Climate Change, Sweden was working with the project “Black carbon- emissions inventory for PM in Russia and Sweden”. Bilateral workshop was conducted in Göteborg with participation of emission inventory experts from SRI “Atmosfera”, IVL, as well as a representative from the Swedish EPA. Emission inventory status and results from emission inventories in the Russian Federation and Sweden were presented and assessed, and potential areas for improvement were identified and discussed. In the new work program for 2016-2018, a project on possible legislative measures for enabling the achievement of the emission reduction targets agreed at the UN FCCC in Paris in November 2015 is included. This project is so far just about to be drafted.

Environmental protection and best available technique (BAT)

Within the area Environmental protection and best available technique (BAT), Sweden implements the project “Applied BAT Pilot project for Completion of the legal base of the Russian Federation in connection with its OECD Accession”. Project initiated mapping and comparing the legal bases for permit granting and commenting of selected parts of the by-laws and technical reference documents, development of training packages and preparation for applied permit granting projects. As well, a study visit to Sweden was conducted in November 2015 for key staff in the Russian implementation process of the new permit granting system.

Waste management

The Swedish EPA actively develops cooperation in the field of Waste management. Recently, we were focused on the project: "Waste prevention and reduction of landfilling". A complete long-term project plan was developed and agreed. The plan included cooperation on the federal level as well as pilot projects in two Barents regions.This project is closely linked to the updated Russian legislation on Waste Management that was recently adopted. A seminar on the topic of Extended Producer Responsibility was conducted in December 2015 with representatives of business communities of Russia and Sweden.

Subgroup for Hotspots Exclusion

After the meeting of Ministers of environment in Sortavala (Russia), Norway took over the presidency of the group. Sweden, together with the other countries in the Barents Region will work with the continued implementation of hotspots exclusion procedure. The current work is focused on the drafting of specific exclusion criteria and action plans for those hotspots which are still on the list list and is closely connected with the new Russian leislation on environmental protection and the introduction of BAT as criterion for permit granting. Big effort was done in connection to work with climate change in the Barents Region. Subgroup for hot spots exclusion plans to support the implementation of the jointly agreed action plan against climate change by promoting the reduction of greenhouse gases and short-lived climate pollutants from hot spots.